East Central Reporter

According to the Ford County Chronicle, the Ford County Board has been reported to have used a "blind ballot" to elect a board member as chairman. This method, essentially a secret ballot, is in violation of Illinois' Open Meetings Act. Secret ballots have been unlawful in Illinois for over 90 years.

In 1933, Illinois Attorney General Kerner addressed this issue by stating: “Of what avail is an open door to the public if the proceedings are secret. The eye can see, the ear can hear, but secrecy conceals all. It is no advantage to the citizen to see a member secretly write a name on a ballot unless he is privileged to read what is thereon written. If the vote were taken by whispering in tones so low the attending citizen could not hear, how would he know what is being done. If no record is made of how the individual members vote, of what avail is the statute providing for an open meeting with open doors.”

A reference was made to an Attorney General PAC's Binding Opinion from 2013 concerning secret ballots at an Edgar County Airport Board meeting and related articles on similar issues.

The recommendation put forth suggests that the Ford County Board should convene another special meeting to redo votes for board chairman and any other decisions made through secret ballots.